2009-04-23_INSPECTION - M2007035 (2)

Home Browse Search

(Page 2) MINE ID # OR PROSPECTING ID # M-2007-035 INSPECTION DATE 04/15/09 INSPECTOR'S INITIALS PSH OBSERVATIONS The Bond Pit, File No. M-2007-035, was inspected by Peter Hays with the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (Division) as a result of the operator's, Glenn E. Sessions & Sons, Inc. (Sessions), failure to post the required financial warranty within 1 year of the application approval by the Division on September 17, 2007. Mr. Gordon Brocker with Glenn E. Sessions & Sons, Inc. was present during the inspection. The pit was last inspected by the Division on August 28, 2008 as a pre-operational inspection. The Bond Pit is located approximately 3 miles north of Walden, Colorado east of State Highway 125 in Jackson County, Colorado. The permit area is approved for 20.31 acres and is owned by Glenn E. Sessions & Sons, Inc. On September 17, 2007, the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety approved the Construction Material Regular (112) Operation application, M-2007-035, for the Glenn E. Sessions and Sons, Inc. Bond Pit. The Glenn E. Sessions, Inc. Corporation was required to post a financial warranty of $35,527.00 within 365 days of approval (by September 17, 2008). The financial warranty had not been received by the Division on the date of this inspection. The Division contacted Sessions on March 30, 2009 to determine the status of the Bond Pit and financial warranty. A representative from Sessions stated the site was being mined and that he believed the bond had been submitted to the Division. On April 6, 2009, the Division and Sessions determined the financial warranty had not been submitted to the Division. Sessions agreed to stop mining the site and submit the financial warranty. The site was inspected by the Division on April 15, 2009 to determine the extent of disturbance. At the conclusion of the inspection, Sessions provided the Division with required financial warranty in the form of a Letter of Credit. The Letter of Credit was determined to be inadequate by Division staff on April 17, 2009. The Division's inspection revealed that mining had occurred on the northern portion of the Bond Pit. Equipment and stockpiles were observed on site during the inspection. Two (2) scraper topsoil stockpiles were observed on the eastern boundary of the disturbed area. Two (2) overburden scraper stockpiles were located west of the topsoil stockpiles. Additionally, end-dumped overburden stockpiles were located east of the product stockpile area and on the southwest and south boundaries of the pit. The pit excavation ranged from 4 feet to 8 feet in depth. Clay was observed at the bottom of the excavation. Mr. Brocker stated the pit would not be mined deeper due to the presence of the clay. No processing plant or exposed groundwater were observed during the inspection. Mr. Brocker stated no material has been removed from the site. The proposed post mining land use is rangeland. No reclamation activities were observed during the inspection. The Division traversed the site using a Trimble GeoExplorer Global Positioning System Unit (GPS) to determine the size of the disturbance. The Division collected data for the excavated area, permit area, disturbed area and product stockpile locations. Based on the post-processing of the data, the disturbed area is approximately 5.27 acres in size. The GPS unit has a sub-meter level of accuracy. The GPS points were incorporated into a 2005 NAIP aerial image. A map of the survey results are attached. Section C.R.S. 34-32.5-103(13) of the Colorado Land Reclamation Act for the Extraction of Construction Materials defines a mining operation as "the development or extraction of a construction material from its natural occurrence on affected land." C.R.S. 34-32.5- 103(1) defines affected land as `the surface of an area within the state where a mining operation is being or will be conducted, which surface is disturbed as a result of an operation." Some examples of mining related disturbances included in definition of affected lands are: roads, land excavations, refuse banks, spoil piles, and evaporation or settling ponds.